This Forum is a place for students of swordsmanship to ask advice from moderators Paul Champagne & Scott M. Rodell on how to practice test cutting in a manner consistent with how swords were historically used in combat. Readers use this Forum at their own risk.

I have been looking into which varieties of bamboo would be suitable to grow for cutting practice. The ones that have been suggested by UK suppliers do not look like the bamboos that are commonly seen used in cutting videos.

Does anybody know which varieties are commonly used? Have you any advice on growing them?

In it you will find history and usage, as well as cultivation sections.
You want to find a variety that is clumping, and of a lumber type. You will need to research as some can grow up to a foot in circumference, with walls of an inch or more. That is too thick, and you may need to do tree surgery in order to retrieve the blade safely.

Maybe Oxytenanthera abyssinica which grows about 48' x 3", however this is a running variety {i think} and is a tropical species.
You are probably going to need a temperate variety. Try and get your hands on that book though, if you can't let me know and I'll send you mine.

tashi

"There is nothing that does not become easier through familiarity" (Santideva).

"We become what we do repeatedly. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit" (Aristotle).

Any variety will do. Look for one that is at least 2" (5 cm) in diameter & that has walls that are at least 1/4" (1/2 cm) thick. Or you might try bundling together thinner stalks. You could easily & quickly bind them with duct tape.

The 2" variety is good for wrapping a rice straw mat around for making a cao ren (grass man).

Graham Cave wrote:...Have you any advice on growing them?

Yes, bamboo is an invasive, non-native species. It can take over your yard in a few years easy. So if you are serious about growing bamboo, plan on digging a trench 2' deep on all sides of the grove & filling it with cement. That might old it back.